McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella had some tense discussions with rivals Red Bull after Lando Norris ‘s emphatic victory in Singapore , saying the mission is on in the quest for all titles .
Norris won by more than 20 seconds for the second time in four races , and his result , along with Oscar Piastri ‘s podium finish , gave McLaren the upper hand over Red Bull in the Constructors ‘ Championship .
McLaren now has a 41- point lead over Red Bull after six races and three sprints . However, Norris has also eaten into Max Verstappen’s lead in the Drivers ‘ Championship by seven points, with the Dutchman now leading by just 52 points.
Norris has won three races to Verstappen ‘s seven this season but possesses plenty of dynamism in the cockpit , with the Dutchman ‘s run without a win stretching back eight races – Spain being the last time he won a race for Red Bull .
It is still a considerable margin , but given McLaren ‘s strength since the start of the summer and the fact that they are racking up good points with both vehicles , Stella has made his view clear that both championship titles are up for grabs in 2024 .
” It ‘s not always going to be easy in the next races , but it ‘s very promising and it ‘s also promising that Oscar [ Piastri] found a way to beat both Mercedes today , got back on the podium, collected a lot of points for the championship and the drivers ‘ championship is still going , the mission is going , ” Stella said after Singapore , as the lights still lit up the night sky .
Let’s look forward to a few more [wins ] in the next six races . Of course , he was extremely fast all weekend .Yes, fully deserved by Lando. I think yesterday he was very conscious in his Q3 lap. We thought if we had pushed 100 % we could have gone faster , so it all came together this weekend .
Norris was quick from the start in Singapore , more than ending his poor qualifying luck in Baku which yielded a disappointing starting spot .
However, with Verstappen in second despite Red Bull ‘s struggles over the weekend , it is clear that McLaren have a challenge on their hands to beat the Dutchman by enough points to win both the two – man and constructors ‘ races .
“Achieving successive victories is another important milestone for us , ” Stella added . “ The car was strong all weekend , which gives us optimism for the rest of the season . ”
“We are extending our lead in the Constructors ‘ Championship , while Lando is closing the gap to Max in the race for the Drivers ‘ Championship .”
Thanks to Daniel Ricciardo setting the fastest time after Norris – and thus denying the Briton the bonus point – Verstappen can finish second to Norris in all the remaining events and still win the title .
That ‘s why McLaren will need Piastri to step up and beat the Dutchman as often as possible , and they might also need Ferrari and Mercedes before the end of this season .
However , it is certain that they are going all out for both titles now – which could make for an exciting event for the season .